The system we are developing to help automate our HVEM has four basic components: 1) An automation control computer (an IBM PC running DOS); 2) The micro-electronic components that are themselves directly controlled by the IBM PC; 3) The electronics that connect the micro-electronic components to the HVEM; and 4) A microscope control computer (an Apple, Macintosh running MacOS) that will provide a convenient interface between the user and both the above system and the digital camera, soon be installed on our HVEM. Micro-electronic components have been assembled with the automation control computer. Low level programming that allows the micro electronics to be controlled via a standard computer serial interface has been completed. The interconnecting electronics for all the control tasks needed for automated tomography should be completed in the same time frame as the installation of the Gatan slow scan CCD camera. These controls include specimen stage translation and tilt, focus, and limited beam tilt. Additional controls for magnification change and beam brightness will be added once the first phase is completed. Our plan for the microscope control computer is at present to use the same Apple Macintosh computer that will host the Gatan camera. Programs for viewing, compressing, and decompressing image files have been written. These programs will be enhanced once the Gatan camera has been delivered and the performance of the programs can be tested. A simple network server that allows for remote control of the microscope and the Gatan camera is being written. This server will allow other computers, such as our SGI UNIX workstations, to help with image processing tasks and will permit remote client programs to use the microscope and camera. A framework client program has been written in Java to allow for testing the remote microscopy controls. [unreadable]